Kate Alice Marshall

In the beginning there was a lie, and the story went from there, with teen Helen Vaughn returning with her mother and stepfather to creepy Harrow House. It's the family estate she and mom fled when she was very young, and this is her first time back. They have returned to attend her grandfather's funeral, but when they arrive, she discovers he left the house and a ton of money to her. The catch is that she must live in Harrow House for one calendar year without leaving.
Her first inclination show more is to flee, but strange events start happening almost immediately, and her instincts tell her to accept the challenge and see if she can get to the bottom of whatever makes the house and her relatives so strange. The uncovering includes, several dead girls, an attraction to Bryony, the self-proclaimed Harrow Witch, a coded diary one of her cousins helps her decipher, buried bones, and a whopper of a surprise at the end, one I certainly never saw coming. This book grabs and doesn't let go until the very end. Perfect fare for horror lovers of all ages. show less

Theodora (Theo) Scott is engaged to Connor Dalton, whose family is fabulously wealthy. In "A Killing Cold," by Kate Alice Marshall, Connor invites his fiancée to Idlewood, the Dalton retreat, for the winter holidays. Theo is nervous about meeting Connor's relatives. It is clear that they consider her to be a gold-digger who is unworthy of joining their distinguished clan. If the Dalton's knew details about Theo's harrowing childhood, they would be even more horrified.

This is an atmospheric show more psychological thriller in which the occupants of Idlewood are cut off from civilization by limited cellular service and inclement weather. Connor is devoted to Theo, but she fears that his family will succeed in turning him against her. We sympathize with this young woman, who is treated badly by Connor's intimidating grandparents, Magnus and Louise; Connor's arrogant uncle, Nick; and Connor's selfish and malicious younger brother, Trevor. Theo soon suspects that there is a sinister reason for the Daltons' excessive hostility towards her.

Marshall does a fine job of creating a mood of impending doom. Theo's frequent nightmares stem from hazy memories that give her no peace. When she begins to recall episodes from her childhood, we sympathize with her intense anguish. Red herrings abound, there are several violent deaths, and the author wraps things up with an overly melodramatic and convoluted finale. Although readers will root for Theo to survive her ordeal, accompanying her on this distressing journey into the past is more exhausting than entertaining. show less

I thought I'd figured it out about 25% in, but I was wrong...and how it actually turned out was far better than what I thought I knew.
All the characters were great, even the ones I didn't like. None of them made stupid mistakes that took me out of the story and for the most part, the relationships were real. Especially between Naomi and her father; which if you hadn't grown up in any situation that wasn't the typical nuclear family, you may not agree, but it was very real.
The story didn't show more lag, it didn't get bogged down by unnecessary details and it moved along very well; a nice, tight thriller/mystery. The concept was interesting and I love when people aren't afraid to be wrong; the truth always has a way of coming out no matter what.
I highly recommend this one and I will read more from this author. show less

A long, drawn out and repetitive domestic drama.

Fourteen years ago a wealthy couple, Randolph and Irene Palmer, were gunned down in their beautiful home. Suspicion falls on one of their daughters, Emma, but Juliette and Daphne (her sisters) might also be guilty. No arrests were ever made. All left Arden Hills and made lives elsewhere. Now, however, Emma returns to her childhood home because her husband, Nathan Gates, has lost his job and she is expecting their first child and they need a show more place to live. Because she shares ownership with the sisters she hasn’t spoken to in years, Emma feels that it is time to reconnect and make decisions. Nathan does not know any details about Emma’s past. Unfortunately, the memories of the night of the murders are murky and no one is quite certain about what really happened.

Does that description sound confusing? The whole narrative flips between then and now and no one is able to do more than guess about what happened and who did what the night of the murders. That and the constant repetition and uncertainty made this whole book quite annoying. I didn’t care for any of the characters - they were all unlikeable as they tried to justify their behaviors through faulty reasoning. The writing style and the melodrama did not appeal. The attempts at twists and shocking revelations missed the mark. In short, I did not like the story.

I listened to the audiobook while reading along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher and was quite disappointed with the narrator as she attempted to do all the voices with most everyone sounding the same. She definitely had some overly dramatic moments. This would have benefited with a multicast performance.

Overall, not at all to my taste. show less